A man charged with an open count of murder in connection with the death of an 11-month-old boy made his first appearance in court Wednesday morning.

Lance Cpl. Matthew Scott Krause, 23, of Spring Branch Lane in Maysville, was charged with an open count of murder, negligent child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury, and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, abuse and neglect in connection with the death of the infant.

No bond was set for his murder charge, but the presiding judge said it could be set at a later date.

Krause's preliminary hearing was set for Oct. 30, and he will be assigned a court-appointed attorney, though he said he had hired an attorney while in the military brig after the death of the infant.

The infant died July 29 in Greenville, after spending the previous night on life support, according to the Onslow County Sheriff's Office.

The OCSO and NCIS responded to the Naval Hospital aboard Camp Lejeune on July 28 in reference to an unresponsive 11-month-old infant, according to OCSO officials. Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown said early on in the investigation that the 11-month-old died “under suspicious circumstances.”

The infant was admitted to the hospital after he was found by Emergency Medical Services at 113 Spring Branch Lane in Maysville and was unresponsive according to OCSO officials, who said he had been in the care of Krause who was the infant's mother's boyfriend.

On Oct. 8, the N.C. Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the boy sustained injuries consistent with “Shaken Baby,” according to a release from the OCSO. Brown said OCSO Det. Sgt. John Getty and NCIS Agent R. Corey Rosepiler met with the District Attorney’s Office and decided what criminal charges to press.

"The Medical examiner is the key person in a case like this," Brown said Wednesday.

Brown said Shaken Baby Syndrome is often the result of a caretaker getting frustrated or angry when a child will not stop crying, though he said he cannot comment on whether this was the case in the incident with Krause.

Brown also said he does not know where the infant's mother was at the time of the incident.

Brown does recommend that any frustrated caretakers take a moment to step back and call someone who can help or provide advice, so they can "break that cycle of anger," and keep a child from getting hurt.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service and Onslow County Sheriff's Office worked jointly on the investigation from the beginning.

Brown said Wednesday he would not be discussing particulars of the case because it would be going to court.